"It'll be a cool game", says Morales

Alfredo, you began the league with a sense of euphoria having been promoted. What is the mood in and around the team like now that the first two matches have been played?

 "Our target is quite simply to stay in the division. We were almost completely written off last season, but we have a really good team and are very robust and hard-running. The important thing is that we stay disciplined against each and every opponent. We played a really good match against Leipzig and were closer to getting the win than RB, even though their targets are completely different to ours. We could have also got more out of the game against Augsburg than an unfortunate 1-2 loss. We've seen from the first two fixtures that we can go toe to toe with other teams in the Bundesliga. With discipline, effort and the fans behind us, we can achieve a lot. Everybody must contribute in order to do so. I think we'll win our points in the Bundesliga then." 

What will the match against TSG on Saturday hinge on?

"Hoffenheim have a great team. They play very attractive football and press the opposition well when not in possession. It'll be a cool game. We'll give it our all and definitely want to get the three points. But to do that we'll need a lot of discipline and we'll need to play well on the break."

You played with Nico Schulz at Hertha BSC and with Benjamin Hübner at FC Ingolstadt. Do you still have much contact with them both?

"I don't have much contact with Nico any more, but of course I'm really happy for him that he's made his first appearance for the German national team. I've known him since he came into Hertha's professional side at the age of 17. He made big steps forward last season. I'm sorry that Benjamin Hübner won't be playing on the weekend, but it's always nice to see familiar faces."

This weekend, the oldest Bundesliga manager, Friedheim Funkel, will go up against the youngest Bundesliga manager, Julian Nagelsmann. What marks the two out from each other?

"Friedhelm Funkel has a wealth of experience at his disposal and has already managed many teams. The players respond to him and he is meticulous in his work. Of course he's a different kind of guy from Julian Nagelsmann, but he's just the right fit for us. We were well prepared for both matches, put in good performances, and should really have got more points."

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